State education officials work to address teacher shortage

Recently, state education officials began to ramp up efforts to recruit and retain teachers across Missouri.

According to new data, districts across the state lack teachers with the right specialization to teach certain classes.

“Our biggest shortage areas are in STEM (science, technology, engineeringand math) fields, languages and special education,” said Sarah Potter, with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. “When we look at ACT data, we see a lot of students that are high performers in the STEM field aren’t choosing education.”

There are 16 counties that lack qualified teachers in at least 10 certification areas. Another 43 counties lack qualified teachers in five to nine subjects. Some districts have teachers teaching a subject they aren’t qualified to teach.

“You may have a teacher that is certified in biology that is teaching physics,” said Potter. “These districts can’t find someone but still want to offer the class.”

Potter said newly graduated teachers also tend to gravitate toward the suburbs, where they can make more money.

“High poverty and rural districts are the ones struggling, because they don’t have the resources,” said Potter.

But statewide efforts to recruit and retain teachers have increased in the past year.

“We’ve been ramping up efforts, because just knowing what areas have shortages helps,” said Potter. “We can support those districts and pass on information from district to district.”

Some of that support includes passing along ‘best practices,’ which includes a program called Grow Your Own Teacher, where the district can support someone who is interested in teaching throughout their education and then hire them in once they complete their degree.

“It’s something any school district can do, especially if you’re a rural district,” said Potter. “Someone who already knows the community can stay around for awhile. We would support you through higher education.”

State education officials are planning on working on several specific ways to bring more teachers to districts with shortages.

“Other districts are doing career fairs, showing their own students why it’s a great career to choose, trying to recruit within or giving some of their students experiences as teachers while they’re still in high school,” Potter said.